Courtesy of WOWSA, Huntington Beach, California. At the 10 km Crippen Cup this weekend in Fort Myers, Florida, Swim Canada simultaneously held its selection for its national open water team for the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships set for August 21st - 24th in Gold Coast, Australia. Richard Weinberger had already earned his spot at the Pan Pacific
Canada's Xavier Deshamais gradually shifted to a vegan diet (no meat, chicken, dairy products or poultry) 18 months ago and is swimming even faster than before. "Since I have begun vegan, I recover faster, I am doing faster sets in workout and my food bill is going down," said the top ultra-marathoner from Quebec. "And the food down here in Rio de Janeiro
The athletes are starting to trickle into Rio de Janeiro for the shooting of the TV Globo made-for-television special, the Travel Channel's Bikinis & Boardwalks and the King and Queen of the Sea competition on this coming weekend. Keri-Anne Payne (UK), Lexie Kelly (USA), Zsofia Balazs (Canada) and Ashley Twichell (USA) were the first women while Valerio
On and off the shores of Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on the Olympic 10K Marathon Swim course for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, a made-for-television relay race will be held this weekend on December 15th. The King and Queen of the Sea concept is unusual and unique. In the elite race, a male and female team of professional athletes will each race three
One of the most competitive, exciting races in the annals of open water swimming - indeed in all of aquatics - left many swimmers, coaches, and spectators speechless this Spanish afternoon at the FINA World Championships. How did it feel from the perspective of the athletes in the water? Zsofia Balazs finished 19th in 1:58:28.5, which was an incredibly
After watching the 5 km races on Saturday and today's 10 km races, the most physical endurance battle on Planet Earth will be held tomorrow: the women's 10 km world championships in Barcelona, Spain. The physicality of the women will go beyond anything short of an ice hockey or martial arts as the women race around the numerous turn buoys for a fast 10 km
With the Italian team stacked, the American team confident, the German team strong, and the Russian team coming back, it is hard to imagine another team breaking into the highest echelon of international open water swimming. But Canada has that potential. Often overlooked, Canada is primed for breakout performances in the open water events beginning
Some athletes go out to bars and restaurants after a competition. Others, like open water swimmers, seem to stay in their comfort zone. Joey Pedraza, Nadine Williams, Kristy Kowal, Lexie Kelly, Luane Rowe, Brooke Bennett, Heather Maitland, Eney Jones, and Zsofia Balazs enjoyed swimming with sting rays at Rum Point on Grand Cayman Island in Cayman Islands.
Zsofia Balas had 4 goals in mind at today's Flowers International 10 km race on Grand Cayman Island: (1) get used to her new swimsuit for the upcoming FINA World Championships in Barcelona, (2) win the inaugural 10 km race along Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman, (3) understand how hydration affects her core body temperature, and (4) stay up with the
With 882 people lined up at the start of the 21st annual Flowers Sea Swim, it was undoubtedly going to a fast 1-mile swim down Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman Island. The elite athletes had to get a jump on the hundreds of swimmers around them. Plus, the top women were bunched up with the men at the start, so there was a lot of incentive to start the
